


A Conversation

by doctornineandthreequarters



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Irondad, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, based off a headcanon i had a few days ago, idk - Freeform, spiderson, this is silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 00:37:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17652689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: Tony liked having the kid in the lab. Instead of AC/DC blasting, he had Peter, chattering away about school and patrol and decathlon and whatever else was on his mind (because boy, could that kid talk). And as much as it could get annoying, Tony enjoyed the mindless chatter from the teen.Which was why today was so weird.----Or in which Peter is weirdly quiet and Tony decides to pry.





	A Conversation

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic on here and my first fic in this fandom! This is based off of an idea I had a few days ago. Let me know what you think! Fingers crossed it's acceptable.

In the past, Tony preferred working in his lab alone. It was easier to work and tinker if it was just him. He could turn the music up and drown out anyone trying to get in touch with him. And if that didn’t work, he just restricted access to the lab. Of course, Pepper and Rhodey had full access to his lab, but they mostly used that access to try and get Tony to leave the lab. Rhodey would turn the music off and stand in front of the stereo, no words coming out of his mouth and giving Tony a pointed look. Pepper was always less subtle, shouting at Tony about Stark Industries and board meetings and needing a proper meal. He’d eventually let her think she’d won, mostly because he adored the smug little smirk she’d get on her face (when really, he had just been bickering with her until he was done with that current project). 

But besides, Rhodey and Pepper, no one else had access to his private lab for a while. 

Then came Bruce, the only other Avenger who could hold a candle to his intelligence. It took two conversations with the other genius before Tony just gave him access. Not to mention, he liked Bruce. Sure, he was a bit squirrely and always concerned about the other guy, but Bruce was a great listener (when he didn’t fall asleep) and Tony could finish project’s in half the time with Bruce around. But then Ultron happened and the other guy took off into space, taking Tony’s favorite science buddy with him. So lab access was back to two.

Until the kid happened. 

When he met Peter Parker, the overly excited teenager from Queens, he hadn’t expected much from him. Sure, he needed Spider-man and sure the kid was smart (he went to Midtown Tech for Christ’s sake), but Tony didn’t have much need for the kid behind the mask. Tony didn’t even like kids. They had sticky hands and needed a lot of attention, something Tony was hardly good at providing to the other adults in his life. And yet this hyperactive kid not only proved to be useful to Tony, but important to him as well. 

Which was how Peter Parker, the fifteen-year-old whiz kid from Queens, ended up being the fourth person with access to Tony’s lab. It shocked Pepper, when she walked into his lab one Wednesday afternoon and found Tony and Peter huddled over the Spider-man suit, Tony instructing Peter on how to make adjustments to the core processor while Peter tinkered away. Pepper was shocked, but not too shocked that she didn’t snap a photo of it (a photo which Tony totally didn’t have framed and hidden on his desk). 

Tony liked having the kid in the lab. Instead of AC/DC blasting, he had Peter, chattering away about school and patrol and decathlon and whatever else was on his mind (because boy, could that kid talk). And as much as it could get annoying, Tony enjoyed the mindless chatter from the teen.

Which was why today was so weird.

Peter had come in to the lab as he always did on Wednesdays. Tony had convinced May to let him come to the tower once a week and the compound one weekend a month. It had been hard after finding out that the billionaire helped her nephew continue being Spider-man, but she eventually agreed as long as Tony made sure her nephew was safe at all times. Tony had expected Peter to start talking about his day. But instead, the kid muttered a greeting and got to work. After that initial greeting, he had barely uttered two words and it was starting to frustrate Tony.

“Okay, what gives kid?” Tony asked. Peter looked up at him, a startled and confused look on his face.

“W-what do you mean, Mr. Stark?” Peter asked. Tony sighed, removing the safety glasses he was wearing and sitting up on the stool he was perched on.

“Normally you come in here and chat my ear off,” Tony said. Peter’s skin flushed, a sign that he was embarrassed that Tony noticed he talked so much. “And then today, you come in and nothing. So again I repeat, what gives kid?” Peter shrugged, fiddling with the ends of his sweater. Tony watched him, noticing how uncomfortable he seemed to be. “Is it Spider-man related?”

“No,” Peter said. “That’s fine. It’s something else.” Tony raised an eyebrow. “I…ithinkimightlikeMj.”

“Come again?” Tony asked. Peter exhaled and released his sweater.

“I think I might like MJ?” Peter said, a lack of confidence in his voice. “I mean, I’ve only ever really liked one other girl and every time I saw her I thought I was going to puke from nerves. But then all the stuff with Homecoming and Toomes happened and nothing ever really happened with her. But with MJ, it feels like that but more, which is terrifying because she’s my friend, but also she’s really cool and smart and pretty and sometimes I can’t even properly speak when she’s around and I just,” He sucked in a breath, realizing how fast he was talking. “I just, like her.” Tony nodded, taking in every word the kid said. He tried not to chuckle at the kid’s puppy love description of his friend.

“So,” Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest. “You clearly like this girl. What’s the problem?”

“Well she’s my friend,” Peter said and Tony shrugged. “I also don’t really know how to ask a girl out.” He seemed embarrassed. Tony fought back a smirk. Peter was a nice kid, but he certainly lacked confidence. Tony always found that odd. Spider-man was confident, made jokes while fighting bad guys, and charmed the citizens of Queens every day. But Peter Parker? Well that kid was full of insecurities, something Tony didn’t understand but decided to table for another time.

“Mr. Stark,” Peter began, clearly uncomfortable with what he was about to ask. “How do you ask a girl out?” Tony smirked. Clearly, this kid was forgetting who he was talking to.  
\------ 

“And when Rhodey found me, well let’s just say it wasn’t a pretty sight,” It was about twenty minutes later. Tony had been regaling Peter with tales of his youth and the many girlfriends and lady friends he had in college. Peter’s face had turned about thirty different shades of red, but the kid seemed too terrified to speak. “I mean one girl was,”

“Mr. Stark!” Peter shouted, finally cutting him off. Tony fought back a smirk, seeing how uncomfortable the kid truly was. “As,” Peter tried hard not to make a face. “Enlightening as that all was, how does that help me?” Tony chuckled and patted Peter’s shoulder.

“Just don’t do any of that and you’ll be fine,” Tony said. Peter stared at Tony, his mouth dropped open in shock. “You’ll catch flies like that.”

“What was the whole point of that?” Peter asked, exasperated. “Why did I need a guide of what not to do?”

“Because I’m sure your friend MJ will say yes if you ask her out,” Tony said. “And your secondhand embarrassment is hilarious.” Peter rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath. “But seriously kid, you’ll be fine.” Tony looked at the clock. “Time for you to go. See you next week?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Peter mumbled, grabbing his backpack and heading towards the door. Tony couldn’t help but laugh at the kid’s miserable expression. As he walked out, he passed by Pepper, who noticed the look on his face.

“What’s wrong with Peter?” Pepper asked, her heels clicking against the tile floor as she walked in.

“Long story,” Tony said with a smirk. Pepper just shook her head at her fiancée, knowing that his expression meant nothing good.  
\----- 

The next Wednesday, Peter came running into the lab, his usual excited smile on his face.

“Hey Mr. Stark!” Peter said, dumping his bag in the corner and sitting on the stool that was next to Tony’s.

“Hey kid,” Tony said, glancing up from what he was working on. “How was school?” Peter began talking a mile a minute and Tony couldn’t help but smile, glad that things were back to normal.

“Oh and Mr. Stark?” Tony looked up. “She said yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Couldn't figure out the lines breaks. If you know how to do it, let me know and I'll fix it! Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
